Friday, July 16, 2010

A Visit to Nick's at Rockaway Beach, Pacifica, CA on Friday, July 16, 2010

I was at Joanne Olivieri's ( aka Poetic Shutterbug ) at 9AM Friday morning for our expedition to Pacifica and a morning of photography.  We were out to find daisy fields and breathtaking ocean scenery I had chanced upon a couple of weeks ago.  Of course, I had not bothered to map the location when I was there and I was only guessing at its whereabouts.  Also, as is so often the case in Pacifica, we were greeted with morning fog that resembled some eerie twilight zone episode.  Regardless, we were in great spirits, finding everything humorous, and drove up and down streets, commenting on houses, landscaping, and wondering why we saw no signs of human life ( could entire blocks have been transported to outer space by visiting aliens and were we to be next? ).

At long last, the gods saw fit to end our search and, around a corner, there it was - daisies growing wild and  the ocean - and the fog was lifting.  There were a few cars parked there and I'm sure people wondered at us, cavorting about with cameras, taking pictures gleefully ( future blog posts ) and trying ( not successfully ) to capture seagulls in flight.

All that activity worked up an appetite and I decided we should visit one of my favorite restaurants and one Jo had not eaten at in several years.  In the days before my job loss,
Nick's at Rockaway Beach was a spot I frequented.  It was about halfway between my home and Terra Nova High School which Alex and Jeremy attended and, any time we ate there, we were always waited on by their classmates.  Now they've been out of school so long, no one from their era remains but the wait staff are still Terra Nova students are Pacifica old timers.  The restaurant, with its adjoining motel, sits just a few feet back from the ocean and it is especially fun on a stormy day when waves crash against the sea wall. 



It was actually a very calm ocean day - this is the same area where I got those wild ocean pictures during that big winter storm this past January, if you remember my blog post from back then. 



Opened in 1927, Nick's, operated by a Greek family, has an incredible menu of wonderful dishes, excelling in seafood items and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Jo, who is totally obsessed with Belgian waffles ordered them today and declared them supreme among all she has eaten.  I, of course, chose what I normally always eat, their famous fresh Dungeness crab sandwich, with tomato and avocado.  They serve it on grilled sourdough bread and it is fabulous. I always have their eggplant french fries to go with it.


Dungeness crab sandwich ( fresh ) with tomatoes & avocado on sourdough bread




Joanne Olivieri, is my dear friend, blogger, fellow poet, photographer, mentor, and jazz lover -we met five years ago when I attended my first Sony Holland concert.  She was a personal assistant for this fabulous jazz diva and Jo and I have been friends ever since.  It's funny how things happen in your life.  It was Jo who helped me get started in blogging and, without her help, I would probably never would have gotten "Life's Journey" published.  She is a treasure. We share a lot of secrets that throw us into a frenzy of laughter.


This mango colado looked good but my budget did not allow me to indulge this time.





A portion of Nick's great menu


The interior of Nick's


I did splurge on a glass of the house chardonnay!

We had a wonderful few hours together before returning to our computers and the weekend tasks ahead of us. 

15 comments:

  1. As you always so well know how to enjoy every single thing in life. I admire your energy and love it because you want to share it with us.
    Your excursions always sound, look, and smell and taste(!) so inviting.
    Sweet hugs!

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  2. Water, rocks, good food, good friend. What more could you want? This is seriously cool.

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  3. It all looks wonderful. Nothing is better than lunch with a friend who can make you laugh.

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  4. Dulce -
    I have really missed eating at this place since
    I lost my job. It really doesn't fit in my budget anymore but, since we were out there at the beach, I couldn't resist. The food is so
    wonderful.


    Sharkbytes -
    You're right. This outing was a perfect one,with all the essentials to make one joyful.


    Dena -
    Spending a few nice hours with Jo made me forget all my cares for a little while..pure heaven.

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  5. Wouldn't it be great to be a restaurant reviewer as a job? If the meals and drinks were gratis, I would give all of them great reviews.

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  6. I'm speechless a sandwich for $20
    On second thought being vegetarian I suppose it's little enough to pay for the life of another creature, not to mention the dangers involved in crab fishing, still that's pricey. I've been out of the restaurant loop for so many years I had no idea a sandwich could be so costly. WOW! No wonder you had to budget in your drink.
    Well before I saw the menu I was going to say your first photo brought with it a whiff of fresh salt air.
    Still can't get over that menu. I imagine the whole gulf oil gusher disaster is further impacting the seafood industry and driving prices sky high.

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  7. That crab sandwich sounds wonderful. Mmmmm.

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  8. Thanks for the field trip!

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  9. Hello,Carmen...
    Scenes of the Nature are really grand.
    It seems to spread through my very front immediately...

    And, it must be supreme bliss in time to spend at this wonderful restaurant...
    The wine looks really delicious.
    Congratulations!

    I thank for your always admiring my calligraphy.
    I am glad that I was able to meet a good understanding person you.

    From the Far East.
    Best regards.
    ruma

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  10. Carmen, we have a fabulous time as always. We laugh constantly and sometimes over ridiculous things but it's always fun. The outing the food and especially the company were just fantastic. Thanks Carmen and you were right, that crab sandwich, divine!!!

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  11. R. J. -
    I always thought it would be wonderful to be a
    restaurant reviewer...but, of course, they must
    get some bad meals as well.

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  12. Sukhmandir Kaur -
    Yes, prices are very high in the San Francisco
    area. I know India is so much less expensive
    and your food is so wonderful. We have some
    excellent Indian buffets here, all you can eat,
    for less than $10, at lunch time, with many
    vegetarian choices and usually, chicken and fish
    as well.

    The Dungeness crab that we have in our area is from the West Coast, California to Alaska and, fortunately, has not been affected by the horrible tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico. Regardless, though, the shortage of seafood from
    that area will impact seafood prices everywhere. Being a vegetarian is certainly a
    good thing and, while I am not vegetarian, I have learned to eat more vegetarian meals than I
    did in the past.

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  13. secret agent woman -
    Take my word for it, that is one of the best
    sandwiches of my life and I have had many of them!


    lakeviewer -
    I'm sure you have restaurants in your area that rival Nick's.


    ruma2008 -
    Cheers to you, my friend, wish we could share a glass of wine together in one of our beautiful settings!


    Poetic Shutterbug -
    I'm glad you liked the crab sandwich...but you only got a morsel. When we stay at the motel there, we can do the waffles for breakfast and split a crab sandwich for lunch.

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  14. It's so good to see you two going out on adventure, and having such fun!

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  15. You're a cutie :) Looks like a nice place, but something tells me you find beauty in every place you go :)

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